João Paulo Capobianco states that the Lula government has reduced deforestation and that environmental preservation has become a priority
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, stated this Friday (June 5, 2026) that environmental preservation must be treated as an economic guarantee for the country, and not as an obstacle to development. The statement was made in a statement released on World Environment Day and shared on the president’s (PT) social networks. Here’s the video:
“Since January 2023, the Brazilian government has returned to treating the environment as an inducer of development, not as an obstacle”, he said, referring to the environmental management of the government of the former president (PL).
According to the minister, countries that are moving “against this trend” run the risk of losing access to markets and becoming isolated on the international scene.
Capobianco argues that protecting the environment is also a way to protect Brazilian competitiveness.
“Protecting our forests, our rivers and the lives of our families would be reason enough and is, at the same time, a guarantee for the prosperous future of the Brazilian economy”, he stated.
According to data from the (National Institute for Space Research) and the (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation), during the administration of the current government, devastation fell in the largest Brazilian biomes:
- Amazon: 50% reduction;
- Pantanal: 65% reduction;
- Atlantic Forest: reduction of 54%;
- Cerrado: 32% reduction;
- Pampa: 30% reduction.
The minister also stated that the government expanded protected areas, recognized indigenous lands and quilombola territories. This territory, according to the executive’s publication, would be the equivalent of 5 million football fields.
In another Lula reinforced the government’s position. He said that the government’s actions “consolidate Brazil as a global reference in environmental preservation“.
The former minister also published about the date. In the same vein as Capobianco, Marina defended environmental preservation as a strategic policy, linked to the protection of life, biodiversity and the country’s development conditions.
Capobianco took charge of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change after Marina, in April 2026. Previously, he was the department’s executive secretary.
The transition was presented by the government as a way to maintain the continuity of policies adopted since the beginning of Lula’s 3rd term.
